Never Again
by LinaStar
Summary: RyoDee - Death is not always the end...


Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own FAKE and I probably never will, so I have to type this disclaimer to prove it. Anywho, FAKE is owned by Sanami Matoh. *bows respectfully* So enough with the jibber jabber.  
  
Summary: Death is not always the end...  
  
Never Again  
  
By Lina  
  
"Dee... Dee... Come on wake up! Dee...!"  
  
The voices seemed to come from far away, mere echoes in the darkness, laced in with those dreams you forget as soon as you open your eyes. Sleep sounds good, he thought as he walked down the dark corridor. The light just ahead was so inviting; maybe he could rest awhile when he reached it.  
  
He broke through the opening into the bright sunshine. Before him was the most wonderful sight imaginable. A rolling landscape filled his view. Birds chirped quietly bringing the only sound of life into the peaceful little land. He sprawled out on the white sands of the vast lakes.  
  
"What a nice place," he said to himself, folding his hands behind his head and closing his eyes against the brilliance of the sun's rays. With the lapping of the waves, so did strange thoughts wash over him.  
  
How did I get here? he asked himself without real concern. It doesn't really matter but it would be nice to know. He amused himself with strange fancies, first seeing himself as a great hero or a soldier, but this only brought more questions. Who am I? What am I doing here? Where do I go now? He sat up, head aching from all the questions. Who was he? This was the most important question. He got up and nestled himself under a gnarled oak tree. The rough bark digging into his back. The only name he brought to mind was "Dee". He had heard that name in the tunnel from the strange voices... Maybe that was it.  
  
So now that he had an identity, what in the world was he doing here? He scanned the area looking for some sort of clue, a hint that would reveal itself at a glance. The surroundings were all different, all connecting to make a perfect world. Sitting on the grassy plain he saw everything. Mountains loomed majestically over the sandy deserts that encircled the little oasis. His own private paradise. But there was something missing... Despite the fact that it was everything he could want, it was empty.  
  
Dee glanced about for any others. There were no humans aside from him. The only other living creatures were the unseen birds that sang their sweet little tunes. The pool sparkled greedily as Dee stood and strode towards its banks. As he kneeled and lowered his hand into the water, he heard a screeching sound from up above. Two hawks flew across the sky, bickering madly. Bickering... Dee stopped as that word rolled through his mind. A face shimmered into view on the surface of the lake. It was a boy of maybe twelve or thirteen with chocolate colored skin and dark eyes. His mass of curiously shaded blonde hair tied back in a short ponytail. Bikky.  
  
Dee remembered him as though from an ancient past. This was the snot nosed little kid who was always foiling his perfect plans. Another face replaced the boy's. Chestnut hair fell across his onyx colored eyes. Dee felt like shouting for joy at his partner's reflection. "Ryo!" he wanted to say. "Ryo get me out of here and take me home!" Other faces flashed among the ripples: Carol, Mother, Drake, Berkley Rose, JJ, Captain Smith, all disappearing as quickly as they came. Finally he turned away.  
  
"I don't know how I ended up here, but I'm going back!" he said to no one in particular. He sprinted back up the hillside to the opening from whence he had come, but it wasn't there. "No! This can't be happening! Ryo! Somebody! Get me outta here!"  
  
"There's no going back once you arrive," replied a voice. Dee spun around, hand reaching for the gun that he always carried but was no longer there. An old man was sitting on a boulder watching him intently.  
  
"What d'ya mean there's no going back? Where are we, and who are you anyway?"  
  
"Once you're dead, you can't go back among the living, that is, unless you become a ghost, but you my friend have reached the beyond."  
  
Dee could not believe what he was hearing. Not go back? No more getting clobbered by JJ or pissed off by Bikky? No more murder cases or late nights? He could definitely learn to like that, but no more walks through the city, no more vacations, no more Ryo? He refused to believe it. It was down right ridiculous.  
  
"You just have to accept that you're time is up," the man explained.  
  
"No," Dee said firmly. "I'm not through with Earth yet."  
  
"Poor youngster," the old man sighed, shaking his head.  
  
Suddenly, as if in fear of Dee's petrifying glare, the portal reappeared, the tunnel twisting back through the abyss. "Ha ha! You see old timer? It ain't over 'til it's over!" Satisfied by the look of utmost disbelief on his companion's face, Dee raced back into the darkness.  
  
*** Ryo had dragged his partner out of the rushing river and onto the bank. He was bleeding profusely from a jagged cut on the side of his head, and he wasn't breathing. "Oh no. No, Dee, stay with me. Come on wake up!" Ryo remembered his medical training and immediately started pressing down on Dee's chest. 1...2...3...4...5. Then he listened, still no breath. Ryo leaned down, tilting Dee's head back and pressed his lips against his partner's, breathing for him. Please let this work, he prayed silently. Dee coughed and gasped, air and water finding their way into his lungs. His eyes flashed open and he found his partner bending over him. "Thank God!" Ryo said in relief. "Don't you ever do that to me again Dee, or I swear I'll kill you myself!"  
  
"Please don't," he coughed, sitting up gingerly as colorful spots flickered past his eyes. "What happened?"  
  
"Let's just say you got hit in the head with a glass beer bottle and fell in the river," Ryo replied. "I'll explain later. First, I think I should get you home." As Ryo helped him to his feet, Dee leaned his whole weight against the wet body of his rescuer. His arms wrapped around Ryo and he nibbled playfully on his ear. "I don't ever want to be separated from you again, Ryo. You are way too important to me."  
  
Ryo smiled to himself and held Dee close. "Never again," he whispered. "Never again."  
  
The End  
  
Author's Note: Okay so it was really short, but I just had the idea for this during Geometry class one morning and I couldn't resist! I've always wondered what would happen if Dee died, so I let the story write itself. Dee can't die! He is immortal and will live in people's fanfics (well, most of them) and minds forever! (Otherwise, there wouldn't be such a thing as FAKE.) R&R if you would be so kind, *glares around at readers* and I'm off to work on my report for Bio... 


End file.
